The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania lingulata minor plant, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99. The genus Guzmania is a member of the family Bromeliaceae.
Guzmania is predominantly epiphytic with a few terrestrial species and is native to the tropics. For the most part, species vary in diameter from 7 or 8 inches to 3 or 4 feet and have rosettes of glossy, smooth-edged leaves.
Floral bracts of Guzmania frequently have brilliant colors and may last for many months. The range of colors for Guzmania is generally from yellow through orange but may also include flame red and red-purple. White or yellow, tubular, three-petalled flowers may also appear on a stem or within the leaf rosette but are usually short-lived.
Guzmania may be advantageously grown as pot plants for greenhouse or home use. Desirably, the plants are shaded from direct sunlight, and during the spring to autumn period, the central vase-like part of the leaf rosette is desirably filled with water.
Guzmania is native to tropical America. Leaves of Guzmania are usually formed as basal rosettes, which are stiff and entire and in several vertical ranks. Guzmania plants have terminal spikes or panicles which are often bracted with petals united in a tube about as long as the calyx. The ovary is superior and the seeds plumrose.
Asexual propagation of Guzmania is frequently done through the use of tissue culture practices. Propagation can also be from offshoots produced by the plant which may then be rooted. The resulting plantlets are detached from the mother plant and may be potted in a suitable growing mixture.
Methods for cultivation and crossing of Guzmania are well known. For a detailed discussion, reference is made to the following publications, which are incorporated herein by reference: Benzing, David H., THE BIOLOGY OF THE BROMELIADS, Mad River Press, Inc., Eureka (1980); Zimmer, Karl, BROMELIEN, Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin (1986); and Rauh, Werner, BROMELIEN, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (1981).
The new cultivar xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 is a product of a planned breeding program and was originated by the inventors, Elly Bak and Nicolaas D. M. Steur, from a cross made during such a program in Assendelft, The Netherlands, in 1994. The male or pollen parent was a proprietary selection of Guzmania lingulata minor identified by Code No. 94861137. The female or seed parent was a proprietary selection of Guzmania lingulata minor identified by Code No. 94861032. Both parents have a degree of homozygosity such that the progeny of the stated cross were and continue to be uniform.
xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 is a steady, small-sized, long-lasting hybrid with a star-shaped, white inflorescence. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by tissue culture was performed by the inventor in a controlled environment, and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and reproduces true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 which in combination distinguish this Guzmania as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. steady growth habit in a funnel-form rosette measuring approximately 20 cm in height above the pot when flowering;
2. numerous, relatively narrow leaves, each approximately 2-2.5 cm in width and 25 cm in length;
3. superior primary bract production;
4. compound inflorescence;
5. long-lasting leaves and inflorescence color.
xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 has not been tested under all available environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, light intensity, frequency of fertilization, composition of fertilizer, acetylene treatment, day length and humidity without, however, any change in the genotype of the new cultivar.
Of the commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 is the cultivar Guzmania xe2x80x98Rondoxe2x80x99 (unpatented). The most important difference is the color of the inflorescence. The inflorescence of Guzmania xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 is white in color while the inflorescence of Guzmania xe2x80x98Rondoxe2x80x99 is red.
In comparison to xe2x80x98Copitoxe2x80x99 which has a plant height of approximately 20 cm, the female parental cultivar is approximately 17 cm in height, and the male parental cultivar is approximately 22 cm in height.